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U.S. District Court/Amicus
Jennifer Klear/Drinker, Biddle & Reath
The ACLU-NJ submitted a friend-of-the-court brief in support of a second-grader's right to religious expression after her Frenchtown elementary school barred her from singing "Awesome God" at an after-school talent show. The school argued that the song's religious themes implied the school's endorsement of religion in violation of the requirement that government be neutral in matters of faith. The ACLU argued that no reasonable observer would have believed that the school endorsed the religious messages in students' performances, and that therefore the school had no right to deny the girl her choice of song. In December 2006, a federal judge agreed, saying the talent show was open to the entire community and was not part of the school's curriculum, participation was voluntary and no grades were handed out to those who took part.
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